Can opener



y 11934- c. M. BOUDETTE 1,960,525 I CAN OPENER Filed May 19, .1932

751's AT OR/VEY Patented May 29, 1934 1,960,525

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN OPENER Clayton M. Boudette, Revere, Mass.

Application May 19, 1932, Serial No. 612,252

7 Claims. (01. 30-3) This invention relates to can openers and esposed to a similar gripping abutment 32 on the pecially to improvements in the step-by-step cuthandle 18 the metal of the off-set connection and ting type of can opener enabling the circular inthe handle end both flaring outwardly (Fig. 2) cision to be made rapidly and at a location such to provide for effectively gripping can rims of that the line of separation permits a lifting f different diameters. A stop 34 pressed through the severed cover from the can without handling, the handle from rear to front limits the extent that is, while still gripped by the can opener. of opening of the gripper (see Fig.

The nature of theinvention and the features The cutting arm head 22 comprises a rigid of construction whereby the objects sought are front off-set on the handle having a narrowed '10 attained will readily be understood from the folportion 36 formed by its inner margin being 65 lowing detailed description in connection with sheared and pressed rearward into the plane of the accompanying drawing, the invention being the handle 20 to form a seating abutment 38 set forth in its true scope in the appended claims. spaced from a similar marginal seating abut- In the drawing illustrating the preferred form ment 40 on the handle. The off-set connection 115 of the invention, flares outwardly .(see Fig. 2) as on the gripping {19 Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of the can arm. opener applied to the rim of a can to be opened; The rigid cutting arm has the strap-like blade Fig. 2 is a view, in plan, of the under side there 12 swiveled at its under face on a rivet 13 (Figs. of with the handles closed and the cutter turned 2 and 3) the inner end 42 being a knife edge. :20 to inoperative position; It Will be observed .(see Fig. 3) that the seat- 75 Fig. 3 is a view, in elevation, of the inner edge ing abutment 33 preferably is pressed into a of the cutting arm with the cutter swiveled to plane slightly above the plane of the upper face cutting position; of the cutting edge 42, allowing a clearance when Fig. i is a view, in elevation, of the inner edge the cutter is swiveled inward to oblique cutting of the gripping arm with the gripper closed; position against a stop 451 that is pressed from 80 nd rear to front through the handle 2Q. {This a l Fig. 5 is a detail, in perspective, showing the lows for the thickness of the can head and enables gripper of the gripping arm open. a grip thereon,

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated In applying the can opener (see Fig. 1;) first 530 in the drawing the can opener comprises only the two arms are opened which at the same time 35 four articulated parts namely a rigid euttingarm opens the gripping abutments and 32. Struck 10 having a suitable cutter 12 mounted thereup spurs 46 and 48 on the heads 16 and 22 respecon and an articulated gripping arm 14 having tively, serve to limit the extent of opening. The (opposed can-rim gripping .abutments on a head opener is laid on the can head with its rim 50 portion 16 and a handle portion 18 that are piv.- running between the two pairs of seating and 9,9 oted to permit gripping and ungripping. The gripping abutments, the bridging off-sets 26 rigid cutting arm 10 comprises a handle portion and 36 serving to hold these at the rim. The 120 and an oif-set head portion 22. The twoblade 12 is then turned until the corner of the :off set head portions are each inwardly inknife edge 42 engages the can wall just below the clined relatively to their handle portions perrim, or the glgnife edge may be forced through the 9g) mitting these heads to overlap and be pivoted wallet the can if desired; Ordinarily the closing at 24 when the handles are closed (see Fig. 2). movement of the handles, the next movement, It will be observed that all parts of the can will automatically enter the lrnife in the can (opener can readily be stamped to the required due to its oblique position. By holding the cutshapes thus reducing the expense of manufacture ting arm 10 stationary and closing the gripping log to a minimum. arm 14 upon it, the handle 13 will first pivot on Considering that Fig. 1 shows the front and its head 16 gripping the rim between the abut- Fig. 2 the under faces of the can-opener, gripments 30 and 32 and the can will then be rotated ping arm head 16 comprises a rear off-set from past the fixed cutter 12 making a slit in the can a short and narrowed connecting portion 26 wall. The grip on the rim is released by moving which overlies the outer margin of one end of handle 18 away from handle 20 and the gripping the handle 18 and is pivoted thereto, off-center, arm then slides along the can rim to position at 28. Obviously 26 forms a front cit-set with refor a second closing and cutting movement, and spect to the head 16. At the under face of this so on until the can top is completely severed. At 5 head 16 is a narrow gripping abutment 30 opthe end of the cutting operation the can top stays no in the can opener by reason of the inward position of the cutter 12 underlying the seating abutment 38. Thus the severed can top may be lifted from the can body without handling, but its rim will drop out of position between the two seating abutments 38 and 40 immediately the cutter is turned back into inoperative position.

Obviously the mode of operation described may be reversed, the gripping arm being held stationary during a cutting operation and then released and moved away from the cutting arm, that has been closed upon it, for each succeeding cutting operation. In this case the cutter moves relatively to the stationary can. The can openeris particularly efiective in opening hot cans because in any mode of operation no handling of the can is required, even to remove the severed top. The line of severance is even and clean and all difiiculty from jamming by the knife walking away from the rim is eliminated.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and its preferred embodiment having been specifically described, what is claimed as new, is:-

l. A can opener having a rigid arm and an articulated arm pivoted together at one end, each of said arms being provided with a pair of opposed abutments at its under face adapted to receive the can rim between them, and said rigid arm having a cutter at its under face provided with a knife edge adapted to sever the can wall below the can rim.

2. A can opener according to claim 1 in which said cutter consists of a blade pivotally mounted on said rigid arm and having its knife edge at one end.

3. A can opener according to claim 1 in which said cutter consists of a pivotally mounted blade having a knife edge at its inner end adapted to lie below the opposed abutments on said rigid arm when turned into cutting position.

4. In a can opener of the type described a cutting arm having a handle, a head off-set upwardly from said handle having two opposed, spaced abutments at the junction of the handle and the head and lying substantially in the plane of the handle, said oil-set head being narrower than the handle in the region of said abutments.

5. A cutting arm for can openers as described by claim 6 having a cutting blade pivoted to lie flat against the under face of the handle and movable about its pivot to cutting position, and a stop at the inner edge of said blade to limit its angular movement relatively to the handle.

6. A stamped metal can opener having one rigid arm provided with a front off -set head, one articulated arm provided with a rear off-set head, said heads being pivoted together, integral abutments on each arm to lie inside and outside the can rim, and a cutting blade lying flat relatively to and carried beneath said rigid arm.

'7. A can opener comprising two arms pivoted together at one end, each of said arms having a pair of opposed, spaced abutments at its rear face one of each pair to seat inside and the other outside of the can rim, an off-set portion at the front face of each arm bridging the abutments thereof, one arm being rigid and carrying a cutter independent of and lying beneath the abutments on that arm, and the other arm being articulated and having a handle portion pivoted oif-center at the inner end to its bridging oif-set, said inner handle end forming one of the opposed abutments on said articulated arm.

CLAYTON M. BOUDETTE.

CERTIFICATE OF CGRREGTION.

Patent No. 1,960,525. May 29, 1934.

CLAYTON M. BOUDETTE.

his hereby certified that error appears in he primeii specification of the above riumbered patent requiring correction as i'oiiows: ?age 2, line 87, claim 5, for the claim numeral "6 read 4; and ihat the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Qiiiee.

Signed arid sealed this 24th day of July, A. I), 1934,

Bryan M. Battey (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

